Zucchini Fritters:

Chia Seed
Egg Replacement
By: Amber Shigg and Kelly Ortega

Purpose of experiment

Purpose of our experiment

Create a heart healthy product.
Observe the effects of replacing egg in baked zucchini fritters with chia
seed mixture.
Control recipe
100% egg, 0% chia seed mixture
Variations
Fifty-fifty mixture 50% egg, 50% chia seed mixture
Complete substitution = 0% egg, 100% chia seed mixture

Review of Literature

Historical Background of Chia Seeds

Nutritional Benefits of Chia Seeds
Studies with Chia Seed Incorporation

Historical Background of Chia Seeds

Floating gardens
Importance:
As much as corn, beans
As a form of currency
As an offering to gods
Aztec warriors use

Nutritional Benefits of Chia Seeds

20% protein by weight

complete protein containing all

essential amino acids.

more protein than usual grains which

usually contain about 6-17%.
Higher ratios of omega-3s than on omega
6s
27% fiber by weight

12% is soluble and 88% is insoluble.

Other common grains usually contain
a range of 3-18% of fiber
Additional nutritional features of chia seeds
include being gluten-free, having no
cholesterol and being very low in sodium

Evaluation of performance of dough and

bread incorporating chia

Increased the levels of:

Proteins, lipids and dietary fiber in the final product compared to the
control sample.
Acceptable quality of bread.
Increase in specific bread volume
could be due to the interaction of the mucilage network, which interacts
with the gluten network permitting greater stability and greater expansion
of the dough during fermentation.

Increase in indirect volume

Measurement of baked
zucchini fritters

Height

100% egg control

recipe
(cm)
0.48

50/50 egg-chia mixture

(cm)

1.02

100% replacement
chia mixture
(cm)

0.67

Chia (salvia hispanical) gel can be used as

egg or oil replacer in cake formulations

Substituting eggs or oil within the cake formulation with chia gel up to a
level of 25% maintained the functional and sensory characteristics of the
product.
Substitution of chia seed gel had:
less saturated fat
the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids improved as the substitution
increased
decrease in cholesterol content

Health Connections
Chia Seed Mixture

Eggs

Over sixty percent of our

recommended daily allowance
of cholesterol.
High in saturated fat
More milligrams of omega 6s
compared to omega 3s

Omega 3 content
anti-inflammatory health benefits
High fiber content
helps regulation of intestinal
transit, reduction in the glycemic
index and its corresponding insulin
response, among others
Help decrease risk of illnesses
(specifically cardiovascular disease.)

Variables

Independent :
Type of structure that chia seed gives
Dependant
The measured variable : wet ability and indirect volume of the zucchini
fritters
Extraneous variables:
types of graters (cooking utensils)
consistency of ingredients (zucchini size, egg type, salt , etc)
cooking methods of preparer
individual serving size of each fritter put to bake

Method
1.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2.

Lay the grated zucchini on a layer of paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

3.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes and transfer to a strainer.

4.

Using a wooden spoon or spatula, press out as much liquid as you can.

5.

Transfer to a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

6.

Stir until just combined.

7.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop spoonfuls of the mixture a couple inches apart.

Chia Seed Mixture

One egg
56.4grams.
50% egg and 50% chia seed mixture
Egg yolk and white was mixed together then weighed.
Weight of half an egg = 28.2 grams.
50% chia seed mixture
tablespoon of chia seed + 1 tablespoons of water.
100% chia seed mixture (complete egg replacement)
Three tablespoons of water + one tablespoon of chia seeds.

Results
100% Egg Replacement (Use of Chia Seed Mixture)
Participants scores based on Likert scale 1(Least
acceptable)-7(Most acceptable)
No. of Blind
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Testers

10

Characteristics:
Appearance

Texture

Flavor

Overall
Acceptability

4.5

Conclusion

Implications for the future

Further develop our recipe

Use ground chia seeds instead

Find a way to mask the bitterness of the chia seeds without compromising the
the overall constitution of the baked zucchini fritter